Apparatus and method for use in building construction

ABSTRACT

A structure for supporting loads includes a composite envelope filled with a filler material. The envelope may comprise a mesh or non-mesh material and may have a high tensile strength. The filler material may comprise a loose or coarse material and may be enclosed within an enclosed in a semi-permeable envelope on all sides. The resulting structure may permit an applied compressive force to result in a tensile force applied in the envelope material.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part application and claims thebenefit under 35 U.S.C. §120 of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/373,921,entitled “APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR USE IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION” filedon Mar. 13, 2006 and which is herein incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

Aspects of the invention relate to apparatuses and methods employed inbuilding structures.

2. Discussion of Related Art

Structures, such as walls, columns, supports, foundations, etc. are madeusing one or more of a variety of materials, such as wood, steel,cement, brick, and mud. Such structures are typically built to not onlysupport the required loads, but oftentimes, such structures mustwithstand wind loads and loads from earthquakes or other naturaldisasters, common to many parts of the world. Aspects of this inventionare directed to improved construction apparatuses and methods employedfor such structures.

SUMMARY

In one illustrative embodiment, a structure adapted to support a load isdisclosed. The structure includes a first skin surface formed of aflexible material and second skin surface formed of a flexible material.The first and second skin surfaces cooperate to define an envelopetherebetween. The first skin surface and the second skin surface definean envelope height. The first skin surface is spaced from the secondskin surface and thereby defining an envelope width. The first skinmaterial is applied a coating of a cementitious binder such as stucco.Initially the binder is in a workable or plastic state. After curingeither through contact with air or a chemical agent the plasticcementitious material hardens and forms a composite skin or envelope.This envelope has properties that give it significant strength intension, compression, torsion. Filler material is disposed within theenvelope. The filler material is enclosed in cell like formations withhorizontal skin consisting of a mesh like material and a stuccoapplication, similar to the vertical surfaces described earlier. Thehorizontal skin combined with the vertical surface allow the transfer ofenergy from enclosed filler material in multiple direction. This way asforces develop within the cavity of the envelope the energy isdissipated in multiple directions. An applied compressive force on thefiller material results in a tensile force applied to the first andsecond skin. A slenderness ratio defined as a ratio of the height to thewidth is greater than 1:1.

In another illustrative embodiment, an apparatus for use in a supportstructure is disclosed. The apparatus includes an envelope including afirst skin surface and a second skin surface. Each of the first andsecond skin surfaces are flexible and have high tensile strength. Atleast one cross-member is disposed inward of an outer periphery of theskin surfaces coupling the first skin surface and the second skinsurface together.

In still another illustrative embodiment, a method of construction isdisclosed. The method includes providing a first envelope defined byfirst and second flexible skins. The first and second skins have hightensile strength. The method also includes providing a cross-member tocouple the first and second skin together at least one location inwardof an outer periphery of the skin surfaces, and surrounding the envelopewith a filler material.

In yet another illustrative embodiment, a structure adapted to support aload is disclosed. The structure includes a first skin surface formed ofa flexible material and second skin surface formed of a flexiblematerial. The first and second skin surfaces cooperate to define anenvelope therebetween. The first skin surface and the second skinsurface defining a height. The first skin surface is spaced from thesecond skin surface and thereby defining an envelope width. A fillermaterial is disposed within the envelope. An applied compressive forceon the filler material results in a tensile force applied to the firstand second skin. At least one cross-member is disposed inward of anouter periphery of the skin surfaces coupling the first skin surface andthe second skin surface together.

In still another illustrative embodiment, a structure adapted to supporta load is disclosed. The structure includes a skin defining an envelopeand a core disposed within the envelope. Upon application of acompressive force on the core, the skin is placed in tension. In oneembodiment, the core behaves as one of a rigid component or a fluidcomponent, depending upon an amount of stress imparted on the core.

Various embodiments of the present invention provide certain advantages.Not all embodiments of the invention share the same advantages and thosethat do may not share them under all circumstances.

Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as thestructure of various embodiments of the present invention are describedin detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In thedrawings, each identical or nearly identical component that isillustrated in various figures is represented by a like numeral. Forpurposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in everydrawing. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side cutaway view of one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side cutaway view of one embodiment of a wall construction;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the wall construction of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side cutaway view of another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a front cutaway view of one embodiment of a wall construction;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention,showing a schematic representation of a building;

FIG. 8 is a side view of a sloped wall according to another embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention,showing a schematic representation of house;

FIG. 10 is a side cutaway view of an embodiment of the invention used toretrofit an existing wall;

FIG. 11 is a schematic side cutaway view of another embodiment of theinvention, showing a schematic representation of a building;

FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 11;

FIGS. 13 and 14 are an exemplary structures using the wall system of thecurrent invention; and

FIG. 15 is an exemplary storm shelter using the system of the currentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This invention is not limited in its application to the details ofconstruction and the arrangement of components set forth in thefollowing description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention iscapable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carriedout in various ways. Also, the phraseology and terminology used hereinis for the purpose of description and should not be regarded aslimiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,”“involving,” and/or variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass theitems listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additionalitems.

The apparatus and methods discussed herein may be used to form and/oradapt any load bearing structure in a manner such that normal live anddead loads, as well as seismic and wind loads, may be accommodated. Suchstructures may include, but are not limited to, walls, columns, posts,footings, supports, foundations retaining wall, and slurry walls. Oneaspect of the invention is directed to transmitting the compressionloads acting on the structure to tensile loads at the skin of thestructure. Broadly, the structure includes a skin that at leastpartially encloses filler material. Without being limited to theprinciples of operation, as the filler material compresses undercompressive loads (whether typically encountered loads or seismicloads), there is a tendency for the filler material to bulge outward.This outward force results in a tensile load formed on the skin of thestructure, counteracting the outward pressure and keeping the fillermaterial from moving from a load bearing condition to a non-load bearingcondition. The behavior of filler materials within the structure is akinto fluids and hence at least a portion of the load is carried over theskin surface. Without being limited in this regard, the behavior issimilar in principle to the pneumatic tires where the load is carried byair and the walls of the tire are placed in tension to retain the air.As a result of this, in one embodiment, the structure may be formed withless filler material than would otherwise be required withconventionally built structures to carry the same load.

According to one aspect of the invention, an envelope is formed with atleast two flexible skins. As used herein, “flexible” means having aproperty that allows the skin to bend, stretch to a certain degree(e.g., within the elastic range of the material), or otherwise bepliable. The envelope is filled with a filler material, which may be anysuitable material, such as cement, concrete, stone, mud, sand, dirt, orany combination thereof, as the present invention is not limited in thisregard. Also, the material may be solid throughout, tightly or looselypacked throughout, or any combination thereof, as the present inventionis not limited in this regard. The skins cooperate with each other tobecome structurally integrated to support at least a portion of theloads applied (continuously or intermittently) to the structure. Theskins cooperate such that they may become “activated,” that is, they maybe placed in tension under certain conditions. In this regard, the skinswill be placed in tension when the stress on the filler material exceedsa certain limit.

As is typical with conventionally constructed structures, a homogeneousstructure is formed. That is, the core material and the skin experiencethe same loading—the load is applied homogeneously across thecross-section. According to an aspect of the invention, the core andskin material result in a non-homogeneous structure, whereby the skin isplaced in tension and the core is placed in compression. The corematerial may be rigid or fluid-like depending upon the level and type ofstress exerted on the core. Also, as the load on the core increases,more of the load is taken up by the skin. This may be beneficial duringseismic loading conditions where the stress on the core exceeds athreshold causing more tensile loading to be placed on the skin so thatthe structure may maintain its structural integrity.

The envelope may be substantially two dimensional when it is unfilled.In one embodiment, the filled envelope has a slenderness ratio of theheight to the width that is greater than 1:1.

In one embodiment, secondary structures providing additional structuralstability to the envelope may be employed. For example, in oneembodiment, the skins are coupled together with at least onecross-member disposed inward of an outer periphery of the skin. Thecross-members may be any suitable material, as the present invention isnot limited in this respect. The cross-members tack the skins of theenvelope together at certain locations on the envelope. Thecross-members may also be formed of a flexible material, and may beformed with the same material used to form the skins. Alternatively oradditionally, rigid or semi-rigid rods or beam-like structures mayextend between the sides of the envelope. These secondary structures maybe located throughout the wall construction or be strategically locatedat areas of high stress on the wall, such as at a corner or doorway.

To impart additional structural integrity to the structure, a secondenvelope may be disposed within the outer envelope. This secondstructure may also be located throughout the wall construction or bestrategically located at areas of high stress on the in the structure.Additional inner and/or outer envelopes may be employed, as the presentinvention is not limited in this respect. Further, the inner and outerenvelopes may be formed of the same or different materials andconstructs (e.g., porous or non-porous), as the present invention is notlimited in this respect.

It should be appreciated that the resulting structure may be shaped in anumber of configurations, depending on the purpose of the structure. Forexample, the structure may be sloped, wider at its base than at its top,or used only in the foundation of a building.

As briefly mentioned above, existing structures may be adapted toinclude aspects of the invention. For example, aspects of the inventionmay be used for retrofitting existing walls. In this regard, a flexibleskin with high tensile strength may be placed on both sides of anexisting wall and tacked to each other through the existing wall. Theskins thus form an envelope around the existing wall. In this manner,although the present invention is not limited in this regard, should theexisting wall experience a seismic load that would otherwise cause arelatively solid wall to crumble, the resulting rubble in effect acts asfiller material in the envelope and, as explained, the outward movementof the rubble is contained within the envelope by the skins and the wallmay still be used to support loads. Accordingly, the building to whichthe wall is part of can retain its function. It should be appreciatedthat retrofitting existing structures is not limited to retrofittingwalls, as other structures may also be retrofitted.

Illustrative embodiments of the invention will now be described, withreference to the figures. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, anenvelope 2 having a plurality of skins 2 a, 2 b, each of which maycomprise a single piece of material or a plurality of pieces of materialattached together is disclosed. The material may be flexible and havelittle or no ability to resist a force applied normal to its surface. Inother words, a relatively small force F_(N) may deform or deflect theskin 2 a. However, the skin 2 a may have high tensile strength. Thus,the material may have the ability to withstand significant force in thedirection F_(T) without failing.

The envelope 2 may have a relatively narrow width compared to itsheight. In other words, the width w may be relatively small compared tothe height h. The slenderness ratio, which is the ratio of the height tothe width, may be at least 1:1. In one embodiment of the invention, theslenderness ratio is greater than 2:1, and may be greater than 5:1. Inone embodiment, the slenderness ratio may be about 10:1. For example, anto envelope 2 may be 10 feet high and 1 foot wide.

In one embodiment, the envelope 2 comprises a mesh-like material. Asused herein, “mesh” shall mean any arrangement of wires, fibers orstrands of the skin arranged in a manner to form openings between fibersor strands. As such, a mesh may be formed in any suitable manner,including, but not limited to weaving, knitting, molding, forming asolid structure and thereafter forming holes therethrough, and forming acomponent with preformed openings. A “tight mesh” or “small mesh” hasfewer and/or smaller holes, and a “loose mesh” or “large mesh” haslarger and/or more numerous holes. The materials chosen for the envelopemay be determined by the desired strength and filler material asdescribed below. For example, a stronger envelope can be constructed outof a material with a tight mesh.

Alternatively or additionally, the envelope 2 may comprise a pluralityof layers, placed on top of each other to create a thicker skin 2 a, 2b. The layers may have the same size mesh, or a different size mesh. Asolid material may be used for at least one layer as well. If aplurality of layers is formed as a mesh, the mesh of the layers may bealigned with each other or they may be placed askew with respect to eachother.

In one embodiment, the layers are strategically arranged to provide thedesired strength characteristics for the envelope 2. For example, theenvelope 2 may have multiple layers at areas of high stress, such as atthe edges of the wall. The wall may additionally or alternativelyutilize an envelope with a smaller mesh in areas of high load such asthe foundation of a building. It should be appreciated that the meshresults in the skin being permeable, although non-permeable skins may beemployed. Further, the skins may be formed or a relatively thin andflexible material.

In one embodiment, the envelope 2 may comprise any number of materialsthat provide the desired tensile strength and/or weather resistance.Although one embodiment comprises a mesh material, other materials mayalso be used. The skins 2 a, 2 b may comprise a non-mesh material, andcan be made of synthetic and/or natural materials. Some exemplarymaterials, which may be used alone or in combination in the skins 2 a, 2b, include metals (such as steel or aluminum), polymers, rubber, nylon,polyvinylchloride, and carbon-epoxy and combinations thereof. Other,non-limiting examples of a suitable material include, Kevlar®, Tyvek®,and Teflon® (each available from DuPont of Wilmington, Del.). Fabricsand/or textiles may also be employed.

In one embodiment, at least one material in the envelope 2 isimpregnated with an agent that is activated by heat or light of acertain wavelength. The envelope 2 may thus be stiffened by applyingheat and/or light to the skin(s) 2 a, 2 b. In another embodiment, atleast one material in the envelope 2 comprises a phase change material.

The two skins 2 a, 2 b may not be simply two continuous pieces ofmaterial. For example, each face of the wall (front, back, sides, andbottom) may be formed from its own piece of material. Alternatively, asingle material sheet may be folded in half to form the envelope 2.Alternatively or additionally, many materials may be pieced together tocreate a larger skin or layered to create a thicker material. Thus anynumber of materials may be used to form the envelope 2, as the inventionis not limited in this respect.

As shown in FIG. 2, the structure, which in this example is a wall 1,comprises a filler material in the envelope 2. The filler material 3 maybe loose, granular and/or coarse. The filler material 3 may comprise anymaterial that can fill the envelope 2. As mentioned, examples ofsuitable filler material 3 include soil, sand, pebbles, concrete,plastic, fabrics, composites, Styrofoam™ (Available from DOW, Midland,Mich.) and natural or synthetic materials.

In one embodiment, as in FIG. 2, the wall construction 1 may comprise aplurality of filler materials 3 in different areas of the envelope 2.For example, the base end of the envelope 2 (shown in FIG. 2 as theportion of the wall construction 1 below ground level G) may compriseone filler material whereas the portion of the envelope 2 above groundlevel G may comprise a second filler material In one embodiment, thefiller material below ground level 30 comprises concrete, whereas thefiller material above ground level 31 comprises sand. As stated above,the envelope material may likewise be different above and below ground.Although the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 utilizes two different fillermaterials 3, any number of filler materials may be used. The fillermaterials may differ according to location (for example as describedabove, different filler materials may form horizontal layers), or thefiller materials may be mixed together (such as pebbles and sand) toform a composite filler material. The filler materials may differ inother ways as well (such as along the length of the wall), as theinvention is not limited in this respect. As mentioned above, the fillermaterial may influence the material chosen for the envelope. Forexample, if a very fine material such as sand is used as a fillermaterial, it may be desirable to use a material with a tight mesh forthe envelope. If stones are used, it may be desirable to use a thickermaterial for greater puncture resistance.

In one embodiment and as shown in FIG. 2, the wall construction 1comprises at least one cross-member 4. The cross-member 4 may be a tie 5which spans the width of the envelope 2. The ties 5 may keep the skins 2a, 2 b from spreading too far apart when filler material 3 is in theenvelope 2. The ties 5 may be fabricated from any material, as long asthe material is strong enough to withstand the applied forces from theenvelope 2 and filler material 3. Some examples of suitable material forthe ties 5 include polymers and/or fabric. The cross-members may beattached to the skins in any suitable manner, as the present inventionis not limited in this regard. In one embodiment, the tie 5 may comprisea body 50 and two heads 51, 52. The heads 51, 52 are larger than themesh size of the envelope 2, thus preventing the heads 51, 52 fromslipping through the mesh openings of the envelope 2. In anotherembodiment, the cross-members may be stitched to the skins. Inadditional or alternatively, the cross-members may be heat-staked to theskins, if both are formed of suitable materials.

As shown in FIG. 3, the ties 5 may be spaced throughout the envelope 2to provide support to the wall construction 1. The horizontal, vertical,and diagonal spacing between ties (s_(h), s_(v), and s_(d),respectively) may be determined by the size of the wall, desiredstrength characteristics, envelope material, filler material, tiematerial, and other considerations. Although the ties 5 shown in FIG. 3have a regular spacing, the invention is not limited in this respect.The ties 5 may have an irregular spacing, may be preferentially locatedat areas of high stress, may be randomly placed, or any otherconfiguration as the invention is not limited in this respect.

As shown in FIG. 2, the wall construction 1 may alternatively oradditionally comprise a different type of cross-member 4. For example,the wall construction 1 may comprise a beam 6 that spans at least asubstantial part of the width w of the envelope 2. In one embodiment,the beam 6 spans the entire width w. The beam 6 may provide additionalstructural stability to the wall construction 1, and may besubstantially rigid or semi-rigid. The beam 6 may span a substantialportion of the length/of the wall construction 1 (see FIG. 3) or mayhave a relatively small horizontal dimension. The beam height h_(b) mayprovide rigidity, and may depend on the material used in the beam 6. Forexample, the beam 6 may comprise concrete and be approximately sixinches high.

In one embodiment, the wall construction 1 comprises an internalelement, which may act as an additional strengthening element. As shownin FIG. 4, a wall construction 1 may comprise an internal envelope 7.The internal envelope 7 is smaller than the external envelope 2 formingthe outer surface of the structure 1. The internal envelope 7 may beconstructed of any material, whether mesh or non-mesh, synthetic ornatural or combinations thereof. The internal envelope 7 may also belayered or constructed of a single layer as described above inconjunction with the construction of the external envelope 2. In oneembodiment, the internal envelope 7 comprises a mesh material which hasa larger mesh size than the external envelope 2. Alternatively, theinternal envelope 7 may comprise a material with the same size mesh asthe external envelope 2, or even a smaller mesh size than the externalenvelope 2.

If an internal envelope 7 is used, the internal envelope 7 may be placedwhere additional strength is desired. For example, as shown in FIG. 5,internal envelopes 7 may be placed near the doorways 8 (such as 7 c) orcorners (such as 7 a, 7 b) of a structure, where the wall construction 1may experience higher stress. As shown in FIG. 5, the internal envelopes7 may be oriented horizontally, vertically, or any other direction, asthe invention is not limited in that respect. Additionally, the internalenvelopes may cover a significant portion of the structure 1 (such asthe internal envelopes 7 a, 7 b extend through a significant portion ofthe height of the structure 1), or may be smaller (such as the internalenvelope 7 c, which is smaller than both the length and height of thestructure 1).

As shown in FIG. 4, if an internal envelope 7 is used, it has a fillermaterial 70. The filler material 70 may be the same as the fillermaterial 3 in the external envelope 2, or it may be different. If thefiller material 70 in the internal envelope 7 is different than thefiller material 3 in the external envelope 2, the internal and externalenvelopes 7, 2 will have to be filled separately as described below.However, if the same filler material is used for both the external andinternal envelopes, the envelopes 7, 2 may be filled simultaneously.Also, in some embodiments, the filler material in the envelopes may beable to move between them.

Although the structures 1 depicted in FIGS. 1 to 5 have a substantiallyrectangular shape, other configurations are also possible andcontemplated by the invention. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, astructure 10 may have a base that is wider than the top. In other words,the width of the base b_(w) is greater than the width of the top t_(w).Although the structure 10 shown in FIG. 6 has substantially straightsides s, the sides s may be curved such that the structure 10 hasconcave or convex sides s as the invention is not limited in thisrespect.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a building 11 may beformed from substantially concentric fabric sleeves 110, 111. The fabricsleeves 110, 111 act as the skins and may be a mesh or any othermaterial as described above. In this embodiment, each sleeve 110, 111forms an extruded polygon, and the sleeves are connected together at thebase of the building 112 to form an envelope. As shown in FIG. 7, thesleeves 110, 111 may be shaped such that the resulting building 11 has alarger base than top. In this embodiment, the filler material 113 islocated between the two sleeves 110, 111. Additional members 114 may beprovided to ensure structural stability of the building 11. Thereinforcement members 114 may comprise internal envelopes as describedabove, or may be another material such as rebar. Tall multi-storybuildings may be constructed in this way.

As shown in FIG. 8, another possible configuration is a sloped support,such as a sloped wall. The wall 12 comprises an envelope 120 and fillermaterial 121 as described above. One end of the wall 12 may be proppedup with a support 122. The support 122 may be a pole, a plurality ofpoles, a wall, or any other structure which can stably support one endof the filled envelope. Also, the support 122 may be formed as thestructure described with reference to the other Figures shown herein.

As shown in FIG. 9, in another embodiment, the structure may be usedonly for the foundation 91 of a house 90. In this embodiment, theconstruction method described above using an envelope and fillermaterial can form at least a substantial portion of the foundation 91.Suitable construction methods can be used to build the remainder of thehouse 90 out of conventional building materials such as wood. Otherareas of a house may also be built using this method, such as the roof.

As shown in FIG. 10, as described above, a similar construction can beused to retrofit existing structures. For example, skins 141, 142 may beadded to an existing wall 140 to create a stronger wall construction 14.The skins 141, 142 may be tacked to the top of the wall 140 in anymanner and stretched to cover the length of the wall 140. When the skins141, 142 are in place, the bottom of the skins 141, 142 may be tacked tothe base of the wall 140 and/or the ground. As shown, the skins 141, 142may be anchored below ground level G by anchor blocks 144. The skins141, 142 may be tacked together through the wall 140 by ties 143 similarto those described above.

In any of the above described and other embodiments, the skins may befinished in any suitable manner. In one embodiment, a layer of stucco145 or other material may be spread over the surface of the wallconstruction 14 on one or both sides if desired.

In use, the envelope 2 is fabricated from a plurality of skins. Thematerial type, mesh size, thickness, size, and number of layers used inthe skins may be determined at least in part by the requirements of thedesired structure. The skins 2 a, 2 b of the envelope 2 are sewn,bonded, sealed, or otherwise attached to create the envelope form,leaving at least a portion at the top open. The envelope 2 may be fittedwith ties 5, although the ties 5 may also be placed through the envelope2 after it is filled with filler material 3. The envelope 2 is placed ina form, such as a wood form, at a factory or a building site. Fillermaterial 3 is then poured or otherwise placed into the envelope 2 withinthe form.

If internal envelopes 7 are used, they may be filled first orsimultaneously with the external envelope 2. For example, if theinternal envelope 7 has a mesh size large enough for the filler materialto go through (thus larger than that of the external envelope 2), andthe internal and external envelopes are to be filled with the samefiller material, the filler material may be poured through the internalenvelope to the external envelope and both can thereby be filledsimultaneously. However, if the mesh size of the internal envelope istoo small for the filler material to pass through, or if it is to befilled with a different material, the internal envelope 7 may be filledfirst.

If cross beams 6 are used (such as a concrete beam), the wallconstruction 1 can be filled with filler material 3 to the desired levelof the cross beam 6. Then the cross beam 6 is put or poured into place.

Once the envelope(s) are filled, the top of the wall construction 1 maybe closed off. The envelope may be tied, sewn, glued, sealed, or closedby any other means. The wood form is then removed, leaving the wall.Multiple walls may be affixed together by bands, mesh, braces, or anyother means in order to form a complete building. As mentioned above inconjunction with FIG. 7, a complete building may also be formed fromconcentric sleeves. If concentric sleeves are used, it may not benecessary to wrap the building walls with a brace.

As mentioned, structures so constructed transform a compressive loadF_(c) (see FIG. 2) into a tensile load F_(T) along the face of the wall.As the compressive load F_(c) pushes against the filler material 3, thewall tends to bulge outward, stretching the envelope 2. Thus, theenvelope 2 experiences the bulging force as a tensile force F_(T).Because the envelope material has high tensile strength, the envelope 2is likely not to not fail. Because the skins of the envelope cooperateto retain the filler material within the envelope, the structure likelydoes not collapse.

As described above, in one embodiment, the structure may be formed as amulti-story building. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, one example of amulti-story building is shown. In this embodiment, the internal envelope7 may be used to form an internal structure and external envelope 2 maybe used to form the exterior of the wall. The entire structure may siton a foundation 91. As described above, the internal envelope 7 issmaller than the external envelope 2 forming the outer surface of thestructure 1. The internal envelope 7 may be constructed of any material,whether mesh or non-mesh, synthetic or natural or combinations thereof.The internal envelope 7 may also be layered or constructed of a singlelayer as described above in conjunction with the construction of theexternal envelope 2. In one embodiment, the internal envelope 7comprises a mesh material which has a larger mesh size than the externalenvelope 2. Alternatively, the internal envelope 7 may comprise amaterial with the same size mesh as the external envelope 2, or even asmaller mesh size than the external envelope 2. Using this arrangement,high rise towers (such as 50 stories, 100, stories, 120 stories or more)may be constructed.

The Heselden's Wall—U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,297 (HW) is described below.Heselden himself claims that theirs is a shoring structure, similar toan elongated gabion system.

Heselden divides a space into discrete areas, and is essentially anelongated Gabion system with the two opposing skins acting as basketsholding the filler material, stones, rocks etc, within the envelope. Itis designed strictly to take lateral loads acting perpendicular to thewall surface, either from wind forces or the weight of infill ballastmaterial contained within its mesh wire walls. The external skinsurfaces primarily act in tension and offer negligible resistance toshear, bending and are not able to sustain lateral loads exerted by aroof diaphragm. The walls themselves are limited in height, singlestory, not anchored to the ground so demountable, and open to the sky somaterial can be removed and filled as ballast properties are required.

Heselden does not designed to take any roof loads. Roof loads not onlygenerate gravity loads but have to resist significant wind loads, suchas in storms, tornados and cyclones, and these forces get transferred tothe wall assembly. Heselden's wall systems will offer literally noresistance to roof loads under high wind conditions and will most likelycollapse. HW barrier has been shown to take roof loads. Assuming it willis not a correct basis for evaluation.

The barrier skin is not designed as a waterproof barrier preventingnatural elements such as flood water or rain from permeating the wallcore. The skin is simply a physical barrier, similar to Gabions, Gabionsare discrete cages, while HESCO is an elongated form of a Gabion cagesystem. Along with Gabion it utilizes a concept of clothes basketholding material within an external restraining membrane. This muchHeselden acknowledges.

It is not designed to prevent deformation of wall surface, as utilizedcurrently as a product, and it is not designed to resist uplift forceswithout deformation.

HESCO barriers cannot resist horizontal projections from its wallsurfaces, such as balcony etc. as they are not designed to resistbending and torsional threes.

It is a temporary, deployable wall partition, meant to provideessentially temporary visual and barrier from projectiles—and to be ableto take impact loads and not necessarily prevent penetration ofprojectiles through the barrier. It is a kind of a sandbag, but insteadof being enclosed in individual bags the material is contained in anelongated Gabion wall system.

HESCO however is a low wall partition, less than a single story (usually6 to 7 feet in height, and its lateral stability is dependent on itswidth as the walls are not anchored to the ground.

They are similar to folding partition, in case of HESCO hinged at sidesonly no track or restraint at top or bottom.

The similarity between MASS wall of the present invention and HESCOstops at that.

The MASS wall of the present invention is a wall system is not atemporary deployable wall system but is ancored to the ground andderives significant strength by being anchored to the ground or base. Itdesigned to take forces from multi-direction, including roof loads,upward thrust, lateral thrust, an internal wall pressure. It is alsodesigned to take torsional loads on the skin surface from perpendicularprojections acting on its skin.

MASS wall skin is a composite skin of mesh and a plastic cementitiousbonding material such as stucco or concrete, that subsequently hardensafter curing, and creates a composite skin which can take loads incompression, tension, shear, torsion thus enabling creation ofmultistory structures. See attached pictures of homes built some fouryears ago in an earthquake zone. See FIG. 13.

Also see examples of multistory home under construction using the MASSwall system—FIG. 14. FIG. 14 also shows ability of wall to projectbalcony etc. perpendicular to the wall surface. HW walls cannot beutilized to build multi-floor buildings cannot resist bending andtorsional forces.

MASS wall system does not depend on its stability because of its widthsuch as HW. MASS wall unlike is anchored to the ground, cantilevers fromit and the width of the wall is determined by the gravity loads actingon the top of the wall as well as other forces, including shear, tensionand torsion, acting across its wall surface.

MASS walls have been designed to take significant storm water surges ofup to 20 feet in height by US based engineers with pressure in the rangeof 1000 pound per square feet (psf) for Bangladesh. HESCO barrierscannot even take a water surge of 20 psf without failure. MASS wallshave been designed to take wind loads on roof of close to 300 km/hourwithout collapse. See FIG. 15.

HW barrier walls do not have the capacity to take roof load let alonewind loads acting on the roof. HW barriers are not designed to takeforces acting on it from multiple directions simultaneously such as instorm surge combined with high winds and seismic event. MASS tech wallscan resist multiple forces acting on it simultaneously.

It should be appreciated that various combinations of theabove-described embodiments can be employed together, but severalaspects of the invention are not limited in this respect. Therefore,although the specific embodiments disclosed in the figures and describedin detail employ particular combinations of features, it should beappreciated that the present invention is not limited in this respect,as the various aspects of the present invention can be employedseparately, or in different combinations. Thus, the particularembodiments described in detail are provided for illustrative purposesonly.

It should also be appreciated that a variety of features employed in theart of construction may be used in combination with or to modify theabove-described features and embodiments.

The foregoing written specification is to be considered to be sufficientto enable one skilled in the art to practice the invention. While thebest mode for carrying out the invention has been described in detail,those skilled in the art to which this invention relates will recognizevarious alternative embodiments including those mentioned above asdefined by the following claims. The examples disclosed herein are notto be construed as limiting of the invention as they are intended merelyas illustrative of particular embodiments of the invention as enabledherein. Therefore, systems and methods that are functionally equivalentto those described herein are within the spirit and scope of the claimsappended hereto. Indeed, various modifications of the invention inaddition to those shown and described herein will become apparent tothose skilled in the art from the foregoing description and fall withinthe scope of the appended claims.

1. A structure adapted to support a load, the structure comprising: afirst skin surface formed of a flexible material and second skin surfaceformed of a flexible material, the first and second skin surfacescooperating to define an envelope therebetween, the first skin surfaceand the second skin surface defining an envelope height, the first skinsurface being spaced from the second skin surface and thereby definingan envelope width; filler material disposed within the envelope, whereinan applied compressive force on the filler material results in a tensileforce applied to the first and second skin; and a slenderness ratiobeing defined as a ratio of the height to the width, wherein theslenderness ratio is greater than 1:1.
 2. The structure as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the slenderness ratio is greater than 2:1.
 3. Thestructure as claimed in claim 2, wherein the slenderness ratio isgreater than 5:1.
 4. The structure as claimed in claim 3, wherein theslenderness ratio is approximately 10:1.
 5. The structure as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the first and second skin surfaces cooperate to retainthe filler material within the envelope and wherein the first and secondskin surfaces are adapted to facilitate structural integrity to thestructure.
 6. The structure as claimed in claim 1, further comprising atleast one cross-member coupling the first skin surface and the secondskin surface together.
 7. The structure as claimed in claim 6, whereinthe cross-member is placed in tension by the filler material disposedwithin the envelope.
 8. The structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein atleast one of the first and second skin surfaces comprises a meshmaterial.
 9. The structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least oneof the first and second skin surfaces comprises one of metal, Teflon®,nylon, polyvinylchloride, carbon-epoxy, Kevlar®, Tyvek®, andcombinations thereof.
 10. The structure as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe envelope defines an external envelope, and wherein the structurefurther comprises an internal envelope disposed within the externalenvelope, the internal envelope having a first and second skin surface.11. The structure as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first and secondskin surfaces of the internal envelope are formed of a material having arelatively loose mesh and wherein the first and second skin surfaces ofthe external envelope are formed of a material having a relatively tightmesh.
 12. An apparatus for use in a support structure, the apparatuscomprising an envelope comprising a first skin surface and a second skinsurface, wherein each of the first and second skin surfaces areinitially flexible, until a plastic cementitious paste such as stucco isapplied to the flexible material rendering it rigid and increasing thecomposite's elastic limit and thereby increasing itstensile strength;and, at least one cross-member disposed inward of an outer periphery ofthe skin surfaces coupling the first skin surface and the second skinsurface together.
 13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein atleast one of the first and second skin surfaces comprises a meshmaterial integrated with a cementitious stucco material co-joinedseparately to create a composite skin.
 14. The apparatus as claimed inclaim 12, wherein at least one of the first and second skin surfacescomprises one of metal, Teflon®, nylon, polyvinylchloride, carbon-epoxy,Kevlar®, Tyvek®, and combinations thereof.
 15. The apparatus as claimedin claim 12, wherein the envelope defines an external envelope, andwherein the apparatus further comprises an internal envelope disposedwithin the external envelope, the internal envelope having a first andsecond skin surface, wherein the two envelopes are rendered as acomposite envelope one elastic and the other plastic in nature and theresulting mesh has significant strength in compression, tension andtorsion; wherein the skin surfaces conjoined across the filler materialhelp dissipate the energy of the filler material through the entirecomposite surface thereby creating a seismically dampened wall element;wherein the cementitious material although plastic in the initial stageonce applied to the first mesh envelope renders the skin elastic andsignificantly increase its strength in shear, tension, compression andtorsion.
 16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first andsecond skin surfaces of the internal envelope are formed of a materialhaving a relatively loose mesh and wherein the first and second skinsurfaces of the external envelope are formed of a material having arelatively tight mesh.
 17. A method of construction, comprising:providing a first envelope defined by first and second flexible skins,wherein the first and second skins have high tensile strength; providinga cross-member to couple the first and second skin together at at leastone location inward of an outer periphery of the skin surfaces; andsurrounding the envelope with a filler material.
 18. The method asclaimed in claim 17, wherein surrounding the envelope with a fillermaterial comprises filling the envelope with the filler material. 19.The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein surrounding the envelope witha filler material comprises mounting the envelope to a pre-existingstructure.
 20. The method as claimed in claim 18, further comprisingproviding a second envelope smaller than the first envelope, wherein thesecond envelope is formed by third and fourth flexible skins.
 21. Themethod as claimed in claim 20, wherein the second envelope is formed ofa material having a relatively loose mesh and the first envelope isformed of a material having a relatively tight mesh, and the secondenvelope is substantially encased within the first envelope; and whereinfilling the envelope with the filler material comprises filling thesecond envelope with the first filler material.
 22. The method asclaimed in claim 20, further comprising: filling the second envelopewith a second filler material; and placing the filled second envelopewithin the first envelope before the step of filling the first envelopewith the first filler material.
 23. A structure adapted to support aload, the structure comprising: a first skin surface formed of aflexible material and second skin surface formed of a flexible material,the first and second skin surfaces cooperating to define an envelopetherebetween, the first skin surface and the second skin surfacedefining a height, the first skin surface being spaced from the secondskin surface and thereby defining an envelope width; filler materialdisposed within the envelope, wherein an applied compressive force onthe filler material results in a tensile force applied to the first andsecond skin; and at least one cross-member disposed inward of an outerperiphery of the skin surfaces coupling the first skin surface and thesecond skin surface together.